Melt Me
by Ezzaria26
Summary: "It's just... I'm Jack Frost." Tooth laughed as if that was a funny thing for him to say. "So what, you won't ever have love, Jack?" He had no answer for that. "Exactly. She's out there somewhere Jack, and when she comes... let her keep you warm. Okay?"
1. It's Not About Going At It Like Rabbits

**I spent so long trying to figure this out and at the same time I feel like I've figured out nothing at all... Oh well. While I'm okay with Rainbow Snowcone, I still felt Jack Frost needed a different romance interest. So, I present you with this.**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**It's Not About Going At It Like Rabbits**

"There's really a cupid?"

For a moment there was silence as everyone stared at him from the large meeting table that North had so graciously provided.

"Wait, you don't question the existence of a guy made of sand," Bunnymund started, gesturing to Sandman, who promptly responded with a flurry of golden images that seemed to depict how absolutely ridiculous it was for a giant Australian rabbit to be hiding eggs. "But you question a guy who makes people fall in love? Really, mate?"

Jack leaned forward on his crossed arms, glaring at Bunnymund. "People tell stories about Big Foot but we all know he's not real," he pointed out.

"Actually he is. Ask Mother Nature. She's pretty much the only one of us who can ever find him," Tooth explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

For a moment Jack looked extremely interested. "Wait, really? I thought-no, hold on, no. Not proving my point. What about _dragons_? They don't exist, right?"

Tooth frowned. "That's actually a tough one. I don't know. I vaguely remember seeing dragons. You can look at some tooth memories and they're there."

"Not in everyone's though... It must be someone else... Who do you think has control over old magical creatures now?" North inquired, running a hand through his bushy beard. "I mean, unless they're gone. Maybe they never replaced her."

Tooth bit her lip gently, as if thinking it over. "You're right, though are you sure she's really-"

"Hold on, who is _her_?" Jack asked, suddenly getting lost in the conversation.

"Haven't we gotten off the subject? I still can't believe you haven't seen Cupid. You cause a blizzard just about every Valentine's Day. Honestly, you little frost brat, figure out what holidays you're messing with," Bunnymund informed Jack with a roll of his eyes.

The cold-skinned youth smirked at that. "I like to think of it as _improving."_

_"_There is nothing wrong with Easter! It is a perfect holiday the way it is!" Bunnymund insisted, narrowing his eyes at the cocky teen.

Jack responded with an even wider smirk. "Yeah, yeah, don't get your kangaroo ears in a twist."

At the mention of being a kangaroo Bunnymund actually seemed to settle down with a small laugh, signaling that he was done with the playful banter for now.

"So is Valentine's Day. Have you never celebrated it before?" Tooth inquired, looking over at Jack.

"Who would I have celebrated it _with_?" Jack spat, glaring at her. "Who needs it anyway? Just a bunch of love and glitter and rubbing it in people's faces that you have someone and they don't." Tooth looked hurt momentarily, though there was a sadness that didn't leave her eyes even after she put on an apologetic frown.

"I'm sorry Jack, I-" She wanted to say that she had simply forgotten. To her Jack was sweet and funny and so _social_, and her hummingbird fairies had always chattered happily about Jack, so even when she knew no one believed in Jack it had never occurred hat this meant he was truly alone every day. Even Valentine's Day. But it seemed the Guardians would not be satisfied with her apology.

"No. You know what, you can be sad about being alone. But you're not now, and it's not Tooth's fault that you were lonely. Don't take it out on her!" Bunnymund hissed.

Now it seemed the Easter Bunny was getting mad, and North and Sandy leapt to fix the situation.

But neither got the chance to say (or sign) anything. Jack was already standing, head hung, teeth buried in his lip. "No, I'm sorry. I just..." He looked at their expectant, sad, and angry faces and let out a shaky sigh. "I just..." He didn't really know. He turned and leapt out of the room, calling a cold wind to carry him out of the window.

Tooth seemed to internally collapse, slouching in her seat and unleashing a sad sigh.

"Hey, you don't let the frost brat get to you. He had no right to yell at you," Bunnymund insisted, setting a furry paw on Tooth's feathery shoulder.

She shook her head. "People have always believed in you. You've always been surrounded by loving faces," she said, speaking to each of them. "And even if you didn't..." She raised her head, glancing over at North. "Don't you have the yetis and the elves around you? And _Mrs. Clause_? And Bunny, what about your egg workers and your _wife and kids_? And Sandy, what about you and Fairy Godmother?" Sandy seemed to blush at this, and a small giggle escaped Tooth at his flustered face. "You've only been courting for what, sixty years? Don't you see?"

North seemed to be smiling in understanding, but Sandy and Bunnymund still looked confused.

"Boys." Tooth rolled her eyes. She should've _known_. Honestly. "Let me spell this out for you. He's a healthy, long time lonely, immortal eighteen-year-old..."

Sandy's mouth formed a perfect 'o' and a golden check mark appeared above his head. Bunnymund's face, on the other hand, went sour, disgusted, and horrified in an instant. "You don't mean... Crikey, I didn't think to put condoms in any of my Easter eggs-"

"Is it always sex with you males?" Tooth scoffed, standing and putting her tiny hands on her hips.

"I didn't say that," North reminded her, trying to suck up to the now enraged fairy.

Tooth's frustrated face dropped and she offered him a sweet, glittering smile. "Not you and Sandy, I know. It's just... Who knew 'going at it like rabbits' was so accurate."

"Excuse me!" Bunnymund looked indignant as Tooth turned to face him again, and then the look dropped when he saw her teasing smile. "I guess it's kinda... well..." He cleared his throat and instantly it was dropped.

"Bunny, I'm talking about love! Plain and simple! I mean really, to him Valentine's Day was just another day to get the kids out of school and cause trouble. And who did he spend time with before us? Just a bunch of ten-year-olds throwing snow balls and spreading chaos. And no one could see him so he couldn't form any long-term attachments to _anyone_. I... I don't even think he'd spoken to a girl before me now that I think about it. At least in this life. That's 300 years..." This realization seemed to puzzle the original four Guardians to no end.

Suddenly a bell was ringing and all eyes turned to Sandy, a dizzy elf in his clutch. A grainy question mark appeared above his head and then a very detailed figurine of Jack and a cartoony heart.

"We _could_ play matchmaker! I'm sure there are girls who still love me! Everyone loves the sleigh, remember? We lure them onto the sleigh, bring them here-"

"North... I... No. Just..." Tooth shook her head, offering him a reassuring smile. "No, okay?"

"You said no to my idea of shoving Jack Frost in a sack and putting him through a magic portal and look how well that worked out!"

North seemed very enthusiastic about his idea, but Tooth gave him 'the look'. She had slowly become the motherly figure in the group, and when she gave 'the look' it was understood that whatever idea had just been proposed needed to be dropped and _fast_. Santa's shoulders sagged but he nodded. "Alright, alright. Then what do we do?"

"I... nothing. We really can't do anything."

**And... babam. Man, that felt good to finally write some Jack Frost. (don't freak out, I'm SOOOO not done) I need me some romance soon.**

**Anyway, yeah, this one's gonna be dramatic. And yes, Bunnymund and Tooth made a slightly dirty joke. They're centuries old and they had lives before they became guardians. I think it's okay so long as they're not going around throwing themselves at anything that moves and making out all the time and cursing intensely. Besides, just because you work at a toy store, doesn't mean you're an innocent person.**

**Just warning you.**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated. Thank you again!**

**Ezzy**


	2. There's Sometimes A Woman

**And here we are again. Man, I didn't expect such an enthusiastic welcome into this fandom. I feel so loved. Hopefully it stays that way in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**There's Sometimes A Woman With The Man On The Moon**

"That's the third snow day in a row for most of the local school districts, and with a prediction for a blizzard coming up what do the schools plan to do? Interviews with the superintendent and some of the most beloved teachers from Penridge school district coming up at 6:00."

"Looks like he's still throwing a fit," Bunnymund commented darkly, watching photos of cars trapped in a foot of snow and icicles twenty inches long fade in and out on the television screen.

Sandy frowned and shook his head sadly while Tooth and North looked directly as the Easter Bunny. "You know how he likes snow. Maybe he's just trying to... forget it happened so he can come back and..." She wasn't quite sure where she was going with this. "Be... happy?"

North shook his head as he carefully worked on a little ice horse. "You said so yourself. The boy is lonely, in more ways than one. I don't think he will just forget."

"Look, even if this _is_ his way of getting over it, it's not going to be good for all the kids if they miss too much school. Besides, this blizzard could knock out the power," Bunnymund pointed out.

Sandman sent a piercing glare the rabbit's way before making an image of Jack. North nodded. "He's right. This isn't just about them, though that certainly is a problem. What about Jack? He's worked hard to save the children and give them happy winter memories. He deserves more than this." He set down his ice horse, looking at the pictures that appeared on the screen. "Is there really nothing we can do, Tooth?"

She bit her lip, and for a moment everyone was simply staring at the white wonderland on the news as she considered the question.

"This was a particularly interesting picture caught by thirty-nine-year-old Lily Parks after her ten-year-old son pointed it out to her. The boy claimed he saw a young man build it around himself, but upon further investigation the mother said no one was inside."

The Guardians found themselves looking at a park on the edge of a forest, and just within the tree boundary was a dome of snow completely covered in a sheet of ice, a dome the perfect size for a teenage boy if he could only withstand the cold temperature.

"You don't think-"

"Yes, Bunny, I do." Tooth stood abruptly. "I'll go talk to him. Thank you for your hospitality as always, North." North nodded as they all watched her go. Once more there was silence, though this one was longer than all the others. It was as if each was waiting for someone else to lighten the situation. The pictures eventually stopped showing on the television and the anchor man returned.

"Next, a look into apparent recent sightings of some of your most beloved myths such as the Big Foot-"

One of the yetis turned the portable television off at this point, intending to package it up for Christmas since it seemed no one was watching it anymore, but the moment the sound cut off North hurriedly insisted it got turned back on. "Bring it back, bring it back! It's not everyday Big Foot roams out into civilization and let's himself get _spotted_. I wonder who it was. A hiker, you think?"

"Probably had candy on him or something. You know there's something about Hershey's that that guy likes," Bunnymund remarked as the yeti scrambled to switch the show back on.

It was just as the yeti managed to turn the TV back on that moonlight poured into the far end of the room through the window, shining on the golden circle in the floor.

"The Man on the Moon..." North abruptly stood and looked over at the TV. "Turn it off! The Man on the Moon has something to say!"

The yeti threw his hands up in the air with a series of angry grunts at this order as the remaining three Gaurdians made their way over to the window to look up at the moon. North stood in the center of the light, eagerly listening.

After several moments the three stepped back, smiles on their faces. "She's back," North finally announced.

"Do we even know why she was ever gone?" Bunnymund asked, looking over at Sandy and North uncertainly. Sandy quickly shrugged his shoulders and created a sign of Pitch above the top of his head. "That's true. She always vanishes when he becomes a problem. Always taken away by the Man on the Moon."

"You would think he'd let her stay. She would've come in handy with the way she swings that scythe."

"Can't throw a boomerang like I do though, mate, don't you forget it," Bunnymund reminded him. Sandy offered his own input by making a golden whip in his hand and playfully cracking it in the air away from the.

"Oh no, a blade's the way to go, men. No other way," North insisted with a fond smile.

Bunnymund shook his head, returning to the table where they had originally been seated while Sandy rolled his eyes and glanced at the moon curiously. "So that's why Big Foot is making an appearance."

North nodded. "Though why is the Man on the Moon choosing to do this now? We have another problem on our hands," Sandy, helpful as always, created Jack Frost out of sand. "Exactly. Hopefully she doesn't mind that we have bigger toys to make."

"Bigger eggs to dye," Bunnymund corrected, arching an eyebrow at the famous Santa Clause.

Sandy quickly showed a dreaming child and a growing pile of sand above his head.

The message left both the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause staring for a good thirty seconds. North finally leaned over and whispered, "Did you...?"

"Not a clue, mate."

With a nod North clapped his hands together. "Well, I guess all we can do is wait for Tooth to come back. Who wants hot chocolate? It's on the pole!"

"On the burrow?" Bunnymund suggested.

Sandy signed a bed.

"On the... Sandy, you surprise me," North exclaimed with a suggestive smile and friendly shove to Sandy's shoulder.

Sandy's eyes widened as he looked up at the image he had formed. Quickly shaking his head, he corrected it so that it formed... well, something that looked like a... something.

"I still don't get it, mate."

Frustrated, the Sandman offered up the image of a house.

"On the house it is!" North rejoiced, off to go summon a yeti to make hot chocolate for them.

...

She was finally there. Tooth always forgot how long it took her to fly from the North Pole to, well, anywhere, and somehow it felt even longer than usual as she landed in the snowy park that she had seen on the television. True to the photograph, the dome was still just within the forest, though it had definitely grown bigger over the last couple of hours.

A buzzing by Tooth's ear caught her attention, and she turned to come face to face with one of her hummingbird workers. "Baby Tooth," she greeted, allowing herself a small smile.

Baby Tooth responded in kind, though the happy expression quickly dropped as she glanced over at the dome.

"I'm worried too, Baby Tooth. But don't worry. We're his friends. There has to be something we can do," Tooth assured the small fairy-like creature, and with that positive thought in mind the two set off for the woods.

Like her flight to the park, the walk felt unnecessarily long, and Tooth wondered briefly what kind of trick Father Time was trying to pull. Then suddenly she was in front of the dome. She inhaled deeply, a soft 'here goes nothing' on her lips. She pressed a tiny hand to the dome, hoping maybe he would sense her.

"Jack," she whispered.

**I'd like to think that scene was necessary to my plot. I'm hoping it was. It technically should be according to my brain and the layout for this story.**

**No worries, it should pretty much be 97% Jack for the rest of this story.**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated. Thank you again!**

**Ezzy**


	3. Absolutely, Positively Weird

**Just to make some things clear, I like Rainbow Snowcone. Tooth and Jack are cute in my book. Unfortunately, this is not the story for them. I wish I could please you all, but in a different oneshot. I'm just telling you because there's no way around it. This is Jack and an OC.**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**Because Wanting To Be Warm Is Absolutely, Positively Weird**

"Jack."

She'd been saying that about every minute on the minute for the past seven minutes.

It was a lot of minutes.

She kept at it for another three, but on the eleventh one she didn't say a single word.

Jack tried not to let it bother him. He had other things bothering him. Guilt, loneliness, sadness, confusion, frustration. You know, all the ingredients that a bottle of 'Cliche Angst-y Teen' had listed on the back, something that really shouldn't be taken if you were immortal, had magical powers, or had lots of really great magical and immortal friends. Seriously, how could Jack possibly be so fortunate and so _un_fortunate? It really wasn't making sense

It had been around another ten minutes, he was sure... or maybe he wasn't. Originally, he might've leapt at a chance for Tooth to break through his little dome of angst, but the longer he spent encased in snow the less sense his emotions made. He felt... sick, or maybe that wasn't quite it. It was more like that feeling a kid got when they knew they wanted to sleep but they just couldn't make it happen no matter how many times they closed their eyes, blanked their minds, and rolled on their sides and back. Every minute something inside him continually felt more and more _wrong_.

"Isolating yourself and confusing poor non-believing mothers isn't going to help," Tooth finally said through the snow and ice, referencing the photo from earlier.

For a second Jack was caught off guard, and Tooth felt the snow against her hand give a little, but he quickly focused once more on the billion issues at hand and Tooth failed to make anymore progress. Still, the little movement had been enough motivation for her and Baby Tooth, who had resorted to trying to dig through with her tiny hands and pointed nose.

She needed to say something else... But what?

"You want people to believe in you so badly... but would you mind believing that maybe I - we - could help?" Tooth continued.

Suddenly half the dome fell away, revealing Jack curled up with his arms loosely wrapped around his bent knees. He glanced up at her, eyes torn between trying to be light and fun like his usual self and being utterly frustrated, and said, "That wasn't the password I had in mind... but I guess I'll let you in."

His attempt at humor didn't reach his muddled eyes, but Tooth took what she could get and sat down next to him. With a wave of his staff, Jack rebuilt the dome, though it was slightly bigger than before to accommodate for the second Guardian. Hopefully she was able to say the right things now that she had literally gotten inside his bubble (albeit, a bit of a chilly one).

"Hey." Oh yes, she was off to a good start. Hey. A very good word for these kinds of things. "About that meeting..."

"Look, I am_... __so_ sorry about that," Jack quickly interjected, glancing over at Tooth with large, sad eyes that made Tooth want to protect him from the world. But that was ridiculous. Jack had more than enough power to physically protect himself. He just needed a way to get his emotions in check sometimes... most of the time.

"Jack, it's fine. I was careless," she started again, reaching forward to ruffle his hair affectionately. "You're such a fun and social butterfly, I often forget how there are so many people who don't get to see it. Especially with that smile. It's terrible how few get to see your marvelous teeth when you grin."

For a moment she thought that maybe she'd won the briefest of smiles from him, but in the end the winter spirit shook his head, leaning against the back of his dome and looking up at the pure white ceiling. "That doesn't make up for my, uh, outburst." He paused to tap his crook to his toes, summoning ice and snow to coat his bare feet. "I don't know. I feel so... off."

"Off how?"

Jack looked over at her and then back down at the snow that was continuing to pile around him at his command. He seemed to be considering something, and Tooth leaned in to show she was genuinely interested in hearing it. Seeing her attentive gaze, Jack gave in. "It's weird. I..." Or maybe not. Tooth tried desperately not to look frustrated at his hesitation, especially now that she was somehow even more interested in hearing what it was he was going to say. The fact that he was blushing a light blue didn't help matters, because that meant whatever he was going to say was awkward. Seeing that she was going to keep waiting, though, Jack continued. "I want to feel _warm_."

Tooth arched an eyebrow as she looked at the snow that was inching up to swallow Jack's knees. "So you're covering yourself in _snow_?"

"I can't do anything else! I'm the _winter spirit _and this is so stupid and _weird_."

"Why is wanting to be warm weird?" Tooth asked.

"It's just... I'm Jack Frost."

Tooth laughed as if that was a funny thing for him to say. "So what, you won't ever have love, Jack?"

Jack's eyes widened and he hurriedly looked up at her in horror. "_What_? That's not right! I don't need a _girlfriend_. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh don't look so surprised. What did you _think_ it was?" He had no answer for that. "Exactly. She's out there somewhere Jack, and when she comes... let her keep you warm. Okay?"

Jack looked even more confused than when Tooth had entered, and Baby Tooth sent the queen of the fairies a look that seemed to say 'Did our plan go horribly wrong?' Tooth shook her head, a small smile on her face. She might have just thrown the winter spirit for a loop, but she was fairly certain he could at least figure his way out of it.

_Especially considering that there's a girl so close who's willing to help_, Tooth thought.

She stood to leave and turned to ask Jack if he could make an opening in the dome for her, but she found that it melted away at her touch.

Apparently they were parting without words. But maybe it was better that way, at least for now.

Tooth walked away from the park alone (Baby Tooth had chosen to stay with Jack and hide in his hoodie pocket), deciding she wanted to check something before she took off. Inside a small store was a television with the news on, and to her delight Tooth saw that the meteorologists predicted that the blizzard was no longer coming their way. She'd have to visit the Guardians and tell them about her progress.

She didn't expect them all to still be at the North Pole, but there they were, all sitting around the table holding empty cups... well, except for Sandy, who had a cup of hot chocolate held high above his head as an elf attempted to sneak it from him, though it was evident the elf didn't realize it was far too late for him to be trying to steal the beverage now that Sandy had noticed.

"Any news on our newest Guardian?" North asked, joyful face dimming slightly at Tooth's approach.

"There's no more blizzards in the forecast, and I think he can find his way out on his own now... so long as he's willing to try and find a girl," Tooth answered, a small smile on her face as she neared the group.

"I don't get it. We go from fighting nightmares to trying to hook up an immortal teenager? I don't think that's in our job description," Bunnymund complained, staring at his empty cup as if wondering why it didn't have any more hot chocolate in it.

Sandy, intrigued by the conversation, let his guard slip for a moment too long, and the elf snatched the cup from his hands greedily. For a split second the golden guardian looked annoyed, but clearly he had something important to sign.

Images of all the guardians holding hands flashed above his head.

"Leave it to Sandy to remember that," North chuckled. "Can't have conflict amongst ourselves, can we? We not only have to protect the children, but also each other."

"Well I don't know how to help with romance. I'm no good at it," Bunnymund informed them.

"How did you get your wife, then?" North asked.

"Like I remember."

Tooth gaped. "Don't let her hear you say that!" she cried with a giggle.

The overgrown rabbit rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I got more eggs to paint. All this drama is getting me behind on my work," he explained, standing up and offering his empty cup to an elf. "Tell me if you need anything, though apparently North's sleigh can do all the work for us."

"I told you guys we can't do that! It's called kidnapping and being creepy!"

"Not if they come _willingly_," North reminded the clearly ruffled fairy, standing up as well.

Tooth shook her head, amused and somewhat disappointed in her friends at the same time. "What has happened to romance?" she pretended to wail, though North's large grin brought a smile to her face too soon for any of them to think that she was seriously upset with them.

"I told you," Bunnymund insisted, and then with a tap of his foot he vanished into the ground.

Sandy waved, showing that he was taking that as his cue to leave as well, and North and Tooth said their good-byes to him before he quickly vanished in an airplane made of golden grains of sand.

"I know you have work, North. I should probably be getting back to my palace. Lots of teeth to check and all," Tooth said, clearly suggesting she would be leaving as well.

"Ah, yes, I've only got nine more months until Christmas. But before you go Tooth, I've got news from the Man in the Moon."

Tooth paused on her way to the window, glancing over. "Oh?"

North nodded. "He gave us back... shall I say, an old friend?"

Her face lit up instantly. "After all this time? It's only been what now? Centuries? Took him long enough."

"I thought you'd be happy."

"Of course. I haven't been able to scold her on her teeth since... I don't even know!"

"Hah! Well try to say 'hello' before you do that. Don't want to put you on the naughty list for lack of manners," North threatened with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

Tooth giggled, and with that she was off. North released a relieved sigh. He really was getting behind on his work.

On a completely different part of the world in a forest on the edge of a park, a teenage boy was finally standing up, ridding the snow of any remnants of his dome of temporary isolation.

_Maybe it'll go away on it's own. It's not like I have time for that kind of mushy stuff, right?_ Jack stared at the now perfectly flat, snowy ground. In the distance he heard several children laughing, still thoroughly enjoying the snow day the winter spirit had given them. "No time at all. I've got snowball fights to start." And with that the teenage boy was off, forming a snowball to throw at one of the kids.

**Hey, so I could use some inspiring music. Anyone got anything good? I'm looking for some light, non-pop romance songs (probably not rap either) and songs that scream 'Jack Frost'. (not literally, but I think you know what I mean)**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated. **

**I just want you guys to know that whether I get ten reviews or fifty they each mean a lot to me and they brighten my day, lift my mood, and ensure that every time I work on this story I am more determined, motivated, and excited. **

**Ezzy**


	4. Supposedly Non-Existent Mission

**I am completely overwhelmed by you guys. You all are absolutely awesome. You actually read my author's notes and try and give me songs! Honestly, this fandom is lucky to have you guys. (and me, I'm definitely lucky people are actually reading this thing) **

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**A Name For The Supposedly Non-Existent Mission**

"I swear we don't usually have this many meetings," Bunnymund informed the group as he watched a yeti repainting a toy robot so it could be blue, unlike the rest of its brethren. After last year, the yeti had taken it upon himself to paint this year's batch red (North had preferred it last year) but _no_. North walked by and instantly decided that he wanted to go in 'a new and exciting direction, something more unexpected and _hip_'. That's right, North was trying to pull out the young people language.

"We do when we have missions," North informed him, snatching a broom from one of the elves that was _supposed_ to be cleaning up the broken pieces of the robot the yeti had broken when he found out he'd painted all the robots the wrong color. Shooing the elf away, North began to sweep up the mess himself.

"I'm not even sure we _have_ a mission. One, it didn't have an official mission name. Two, I don't think playing matchmaker can _ever_ be considered a mission. Besides Jack seems back to normal. No more blizzards, no more stupid teenage angst. Really, can we let the kid be?"

North gave a dramatic sigh. "You're right. It appears Tooth was wrong after all. Jack is unlike the rest of us! He is immune to the ways of desire and love! But who is the lucky one. Is it him or is it us?" Going into full theatric mode, North held the broom close to his chest.

Sandy gave him a suspicious look, presenting a broom and a question mark above his head.

"Don't you see that this broom is the lucky lady? ... Metaphorically speaking, of course. Oh, and speaking of official mission names, can we call this one Mission Broomstick? I think it has a nice ring to it."

"There's no mission. Jack's _fine_," Bunnymund insisted.

"This is true... I suppose we won't get to name the mission after you, my lovely broom," North said with a chuckle, finishing up the sweeping of the robot and propping the broom against the wall.

Tooth shook her head. "I'm not wrong about this. Jack is _not_ okay. He said some very weird things for a winter spirit and it can only mean one thing."

"Look, if you're right we'll call the mission _Mission Broomstick_" Bunnymund said these words with a look on his face that said they didn't taste quite right on his tongue "and we'll help loverless boy, alright mate?"

Tooth nodded slowly.

"But since Jack's fine there's nothing to worry about," Bunnymund rejoiced. "I'm going to head off now. Promised the wife I'd clean up the tunnels."

Sandy signed a couple things that translated to 'she found out you didn't remember, didn't she?' which Bunnymund refused to respond to. The large bunny was down the rabbit hole in seconds.

"It is weird though. You talk to him for a few minutes and now Jack seems completely recovered from the situation," North informed Tooth. She once again nodded just as slowly as before, staring at the globe curiously for a moment before deciding to take her leave, Sandy following shortly after.

At the same time in a familiar town to all the guardians school was out. There hadn't been a snow day, but there _had_ been frost on Jamie's window, so he knew what that meant. Jack Frost had come to visit.

It'd been two weeks since Jack had nearly threatened a small town with a blizzard, and now Easter had come and gone. Most places would no longer be getting snow, so Jack could only chance a few frosty visits here and there to children he knew to be especially strong believers. Usually he'd be willing to stay around even if there wasn't any snow to speak of, but recently he'd been keeping himself busy by going further North and visiting places that spoke in tongues he wasn't even remotely familiar with. Though the accents in Russia had definitely rung some Christmas-y bells in the young spirit's mind.

So long as he didn't call attention to himself, maybe the rest of the Guardians would get off his back, a plan that was surprisingly working. _Find a girl_. That had basically been Tooth's advice, and it was probably going to be the only piece of advice the fairy would ever give Jack that he _wouldn't_ listen to. He'd said it a thousand times that he didn't need romance, and it was going to stay that way. Especially since he was the Guardian of Fun. Couldn't have much fun with a girl breathing down your neck, could you?

Had Jack pointed this out to North or Bunnymund, the two definitely would've laughed at his foolishness.

"Jack!"

Jack Frost had been seated upon the top of the town statue, remembering how it had all started with him accidentally getting a kid's tooth knocked out right at that very spot, but when the kid he was thinking of happened to pop up right before his eyes, Jack found himself pulled away from his thoughts.

"Hey Jamie," Jack greeted toothily. See, he was showing his "pretty teeth" and everything. No need for girls. The teenager hopped off the statue, leaving a thin layer of frost in his wake, and landed beside the twelve-year-old.

"No snow?" Jamie asked.

"Nah. I never realized how many legendary figures there were, but apparently there's a Mother Nature, and _apparently_ she throws a hissy fit every time I make it snow in April."

"Even at the North Pole?"

Jack laughed. "She doesn't seem to have a problem if I make it snow _there_. Wonder why that is."

Jamie joined in with Jack's laughter as the two started walking towards Jamie's house. "Does this mean I don't get to see you for the next couple months?"

"I'm not sure frost is going to look very natural on all the windows in July, but maybe I can sneak over and play a game once in a while."

"Can Sophie play?"

Jack could not believe how much Sophie had grown now that she was four. She was spouting full sentences. A lot of them. In fact, Jack was fairly certain she was going to be an actress because she had the most peculiar and precise memory he may have ever witnessed. "So long as its not movie trivia," he replied quickly.

"That was bad..." Jamie muttered in agreement. The boys' eyes glazed over as they both thought back to a month when they had decided to play and Sophie walked in. She was a four year old. She wasn't supposed to have seen that many movies yet, let alone be able to recite entire passages and _win._

"Are you sure you can't stay, Jack?"

"If I could I would, Jamie. Trust me. You know you're like a little brother to me, right?"

Jamie nodded, obviously glum at the answer. "Middle school is really hard. Lots of kids suddenly just... stop believing, and lots of my friends are so... grown up. They've got older brothers, you know? I've just got an older sister..."

Jack had never had older brothers, but he had been one before and felt that he had taught his sister a lot of things by the time he died. It was probably extremely difficult for Jamie to go through such a big change like middle school without an older sibling... Then he froze, backtracking to replay Jamie's words in his head. "You have an older sister? Since _when_?"

Jamie paused, realizing he had probably never told the winter spirit about her. "Since forever? Her name's Carrie. She's in college," Jamie quickly explained.

"Well you must not like her much. You never mentioned her," Jack teased as they approached Jamie's house.

"Everyone here knows I've got an older sister! I just forgot you didn't."

"Sure, sure. Tell Sophie I'll say hi next time I come. I've gotta go check on Canada."

The twelve-year-old's eyes looked downcast as he approached the door. "You sure you can't stay?"

Jack smiled sadly. "No can do. But I'll definitely be back," he assured the child, waiting for Jamie to get inside the house before starting to leave.

"So that's the famous Jamie?"

Jack froze, one foot in the air so he could get caught by a winter wind and carried away.

_Who said that?_ On the defensive, Jack planted his feet back on the ground and whirled around, crook in hand.

**So, I love all your reviews. I've said this before, I know. It's just, I didn't expect people to so eagerly anticipate the mystery woman. I mean _whoa_! Hopefully she doesn't disappoint, guys.**

**Also, I figured in the last movie Jamie was 11 (the more I think about it the more I think he was 8, but it's too late, I've made up my mind!). So this has been barely over 1 year later, so ba-bam, he's 12 now. (I promise, my ridiculous prediction of his age is important)**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated.**

**Ezzy**


	5. A Sleepless Night With A Stupid Feeling

**You guys are going to hate me for a bit longer... Oh dear...**

**Oh, and by the way, thank you for all the song suggestions! I found a couple new favorites and was reminded of a couple old ones, so that was cool. (oh, I'm so clever... _cool_... get it? Jack Frost fic? Yes? No?)**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**Some Totally Unreasonable Pathetic Intolerably Dumb Feeling**

There was no one there. No one at all. Adrenaline pulsed through him at the scare. Perhaps it was a television with a character that happened to be named Jamie. Jack did have more sensitive hearing, being an immortal spirit and all, and the voice was super soft.

"Well this isn't what I expected. I heard Jamie was a much happier child than this..."

He didn't understand. He _definitely_ heard a woman's voice, but there had been no one behind him.

"Maybe he'll be better tomorrow."

Wait a minute... It was coming from the roof! Jack heard the sound of something scraping against shingles and he quickly snapped his head upwards to look and see who it was. It was too late, though. Whoever - or whatever - had been there was already gone, and the shingles looked unharmed and untouched.

Maybe he was going crazy.

That's right. Not a television. Simply his imagination going into overdrive with all the adrenaline, not that _that_ explanation made sense either. He was always doing crazy stunts that had his blood pumping.

Or maybe it was because he hadn't really felt right since two weeks and three days ago at that meeting with the Guardians. He'd spent 300 years living in oblivious hilarity and chaos. Then there was the year of fighting Pitch.

And then another year. People believed in him. He was no longer alone. He had _friends_.

But try to explain that to the Guardians, who had apparently decided that Jack needed a _girl_. Why stop at finally having people put their faith in you when you could push it one step outside of your comfort zone? It was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. Jack had wanted people to believe in him after all those years of loneliness and that was _it_. He didn't need the Guardians meddling in his life after one short year of knowing him.

He shuddered, something he rarely did because that usually implied that he was _cold_ (an impossibility in itself). All this thinking of girls was messing with his head. Yes, it definitely had to be the fact that his new friends had tried to propose that he hook up with some random girl. That's what had caused his brief hearing problem.

Shaking his head multiple times in an attempt to clear it, Jack once again considered calling the winter wind to carry him away. He still fully intended to make sure Canada was thoroughly coated in snow. But then he thought back on the weird things he had definitely misheard. _Maybe... I should stay just for one night and make sure Jamie's okay._

Jack knew this decision could potentially be a problem, but he would not put the life of the first kid who had ever believed in him at stake. So he decided to stay in their back yard in the limbs of one of the trees. It would be like a scouting post for him to make sure no one went into Jamie's room.

He settled with his back against the trunk, dreading the moment he would truly settle into the trunk. It happened too quickly. The moment his body relaxed even the slightest bit he felt tiredness overwhelm him. He hadn't been sleeping well the past couple weeks. Not since that blasted meeting. And just to add to the greatness of Jack's crazy life, he felt that feeling growing inside him. The feeling that he was so uncomfortably cold and needed something to warm him up. He had dubbed it 'Some Totally Unreasonable Pathetic Intolerably Dumb feeling', the STUPID feeling for short. The acronym allowed him to think of the word in caps just to emphasize how _stupid_ the feeling was.

It clawed at Jack from the inside, and he shifted uneasily on the thick branch. He would try to ignore it just like he did every other night and attempt to sleep despite the fact that he usually didn't need to (perks of being an immortal on any normal night). It was an impossible notion, because every time he thought he was close to drifting off that feeling would double in strength, eating away at him once more and begging for something warm.

Jack dreaded the day it would ask for a burning inferno, because he wasn't quite sure he would be able to do anything about it without killing himself.

Not that he could do anything about the desire for warmth. Tooth had suggested a girl, but he knew how ridiculous that was.

So, all Jack could do was what he did best. With a wave of his crook ice spread over his skin along with a dusting of snow. He just needed to cool down was all. One day soon he would drift off to sleep, perfectly cool and perfectly content with that temperature.

Unfortunately for Jack that night would not be tonight.

He barely balanced on the edge of sleep, that feeling that continued to gnaw at him the only thing keeping him awake. But in the morning he knew he could pretend again, bask in the sun's glow and defy it with his own cold touch.

So when the rays peeked over the horizon, sneaking hints of orange and yellow into the sky, Jack sat up straight, the 'force myself to act awake' button pressed inside his head. No one had come for Jamie. The kid was safe. Jack could go on to Canada with no worries.

At least, he thought so. Then he heard something land on the roof.

The person from before!

He leapt out of the tree and called a wind to throw him to the roof, where he landed gracefully on both feet. The person was heading for the opposite edge of the roof, the part that overhung Jamie's bedroom window. "Hey! Who are you?" Jack blurted out, twirling his frosty crook in his pale hand.

The figure paused and turned.

The figure had a woman's voice according to Jack's imagination, but considering how often he talked to the female race Jack had been hoping that the only reason he'd heard her as a girl was because of the Guardians trying to pressure him into _finding one_.

As it turned out, he simply was not that lucky.

She was a red-head, one of the darkest shade. Her deep auburn hair fell a little past her shoulders except for the top half, which was french-braided staring on the left side of her head and circling around the back to her right side, where it fell loose into a sideways braid that settled on top of the rest of her hair. She had pale green eyes, the polar opposite of her hair, and while she was probably considered pale by many, she in no way beat Jack's ivory skin. She wore dark denim jeans with large rips and faded patches and a black tank-top under a white t-shirt that was too big for her modestly sized chest and barely curved figure. A black hair tie wrapped around part of the paint splatter-covered shirt at her left hip was probably the only thing keeping it from turning into a dress. The random assortment of jewelry around her neck and the pencil tucked behind her left ear were probably the last things normal about her.

Like Jack, she looked fairly human, but also like Jack there was something distinctly off about her. For him it had been the white hair. For her it was the patterns of darkened flesh around the edges of her face and her hands and neck. At least, those were the only places they were located as far as Jack could tell.

"Spire," she answered with a small and toothy smile which Jack noted was full of slightly crooked teeth that were not exactly pearly whites.

Not that that changed his inability to reply to her. The fact that her name was Spire or that she looked like an art student was not helping him identify who she was, and since he didn't know her he definitely didn't know how to talk to her.

After all, she was a girl, and besides Tooth... Well... 300 years and...

Jack swallowed.

"I wondered what it would be like to meet Jack Frost. Personally I thought it'd be a pleasantly chilling experience on my end. Never would've guessed you'd be left speechless," Spire teased with that same tiny smile on her face.

He wanted to say something witty. Really, he did. It was just incredibly difficult to do so at the moment. Where was the Easter Kangaroo when he was actually needed? Girls liked fluffy animals right? Maybe Jack would offer up Bunnymund as a sort of peace offering to get her to leave Jamie alone and to somehow break the very thick ice he was making between the two of them.

Somehow he felt that wouldn't quite work as planned.

Okay, well, he had to say something. He needed to know who she was, why she could see him, and what she wanted with Jamie. Maybe he would get lucky and one of those three questions would just pop out of his mouth and she'd make his life easier by answering simply and directly.

"I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."

The fact that his voice sounded suave was about the only success in that entire eight-word sentence.

**You guys happy now? (I've been cruel enough by prolonging you from meeting her for four chapters... I figured you all would find a way to destroy me if I made you wait another entire chapter) There's no going back. You've met her now.**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated.**

**Ezzy**


	6. Can't Talk To Things With Cooties

**Sorry this update didn't follow my very short habit of updating daily. Life decided to remind me it's still there. (I got the message, Life, thanks, now make room for my fangirling) Not to mention, you know, the holidays and I'm sick. But anyway, here you are.**

**As for Spire, if I end up modifying certain things once I understand her better I'll tell you in these notes, so be on the lookout for possible chapter edits. (hopefully it doesn't come to that)**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**Can't Talk To Things With Cooties**

For a moment Jack was beginning to think he'd simply _imagined_ himself saying something that stupid, (one could dream, right?) but then Spire began to giggle and he realized he wasn't that lucky.

"Well usually people would respond to my clever joke with one of their own. Got anything good?" Spire asked.

Holy Moon, he _had_ said it. "No, I mean, well I do, but... no... Or... You know," Jack raised his hand, deciding changing the subject would probably help him out, "I think I've heard that joke before. It's not _that_ clever."

Spire frowned in disappointment, crossing her arms. "Have you? Blast. I'll have to think of something else," Spire remarked, furrowing her brow in deep thought momentarily. "But that's not so important right now. What is it that you have no idea how to do?"

Well, if Jack didn't have the problem he had, he would've been able to tell her what the problem was. (but then it wouldn't be a problem, would it?) So instead he ended up just standing there trying to think of the words he needed to form to ask his three questions and get her out of there so he never had to see her again.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to talk to girls," Spire murmured, eyes darkening as if this was an entirely new perspective she hadn't considered.

"Ok," Jack finally managed to say.

This word seemed to stun her, as her stance went slack and her mouth popped open just a tad. "Oh." She took a few steps closer, as if she didn't believe his words and thought that looking at him up close would prove it to her. Jack stumbled backwards, not wanting the stranger too close to him, and the grip he had on his crook somehow managed to tighten. "That is so-"

"Whoa, whoa, I-I don't even know who you are and I have stuff to be doing and you are _really close_," Jack exclaimed, stumbling backwards even more and swerving so that she was facing thin air. Without moving her body, Spire managed to turn her head enough to still be looking at him, face just as confused as before.

"I just don't understand. Do you not talk to girls often?"

"I haven't done it in a while..." Jack muttered so softly it was barely audible, the palest of blue blushes on his face. For a few seconds Spire simply stood there making random gestures and confused little sounds as she tried to comprehend this, leaving the winter spirit to simply stare at her in shock. Finally, she composed herself, setting a determined expression on her face.

"Well then allow me to inform you that talking to a girl is just like talking to a guy," Spire reassured him.

Jack gave her a 'cut the crap' kind of look. "Not true," he insisted childishly.

"I swear if your defense is 'girls have cooties' we're going to have a problem and it's not going to be that you can't talk to half the world's population," Spire informed the spirit.

He found himself grinning at her threat. "Well they do."

"Well, even though you are entirely _wrong__..."_ Spire began, finally turning around completely to face him, "have you noticed anything?"

Jack looked around warily, wondering what she was talking about. "Like what?"

"Who are you talking to right now?"

"You," he answered, his expression clearly unimpressed with her question.

"And who am I?"

Jack adjusted his staff so that the end of it was pressed into the roof so he could lean against it. "Well I'm not really sure. All I got out of you was a name," he pointed out.

"Sorry, bad question. _What_ am I?"

"Uh... A girl?"

"Ding, ding, ding. Not that different, right?" For a moment neither spoke as Jack slowly registered what she was suggesting. He'd been talking to her. _Her_. A girl.

Nope, it was still difficult.

"Why is it that you haven't talked to any?" Spire asked.

His blue gaze went steely. "Ninety-nine point nine percent of them don't believe I exist, and the ones that do are ten. You know, the fifteen or so girls."

Spire froze, as if hurt by those words. "I'm sorry, I-"

"I don't even know who you are. H-how can you be sorry?" Jack's voice was partially bitter, but also somewhat confused at her seemingly sincere apology.

That's right. She hadn't exactly introduced herself. 'Spire' could be a lot of things if you didn't know her full name. "Sorry, I just gave you my nickname, didn't I? Maybe this will clear things up. My full name is Inspiration."

Jack allowed his evident irritation to fade away slightly at this. "Inspiration?" He felt that that should somehow explain why she was sorry, but it just wasn't clicking.

Spire nodded. "Right. When _inspiration_ strikes? That's me."

That didn't help at all. "I didn't even realize inspiration was... you know, a person," Jack remarked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Most don't. It's not part of my job to be believed in," Spire explained. "It's part of mine to make sure that all of _you_ are."

Ah, there it was. Now it made sense. Jack straightened and lifted his crook once more as he looked at her, her green eyes falling to the ground out of... regret? "Wait, are you saying-?"

"I'm the one who gives the children imagination. It's hard to believe in a giant bunny or a feathery tooth fairy without some, right?"

If Jack had been like someone else, perhaps someone pitch black, he might've felt tempted to then throw all the blame for his loneliness onto her, but he felt that maybe there was something else that was missing from the story. "Then why did no one believe in me? And what about Pitch Black? A year ago there was only one kid who believed in us," Jack snapped, trying to contain his frustration so that he could get that missing piece.

Spire swallowed, playing with the edge of her white shirt. "I've been away with... well, you know him, don't you?" Spire asked, pointing over to where the pale moon was dipping below the horizon now that the sun was making its presence known. Jack's eyes widened in realization. "My powers are very limited there. I tried what I could. You _are_ in a song, you know. But beyond that... well, it was very difficult."

"Yeah..." Jack cleared his throat. He always _had_ wondered where the song writer had come up with 'Jack Frost' when no one could see him. "Thanks for trying?"

Spire nodded, eyes still glued to the moon as it vanished completely. "I came here because I wanted to meet the first kid who ever believed in you," Spire added, stepping over to the edge of the roof and laying down so she could hang her head over the side and look into Jamie's window.

Jack slowly walked over to join her, sensing that there was no way she was of any risk to him. Not now that he knew who she was anyway.

"What did you do... to get him to believe in you?" Spire asked.

"I drew a couple bad pictures of Easter things on his window, turned one into a blue bunny, and then made it snow in his bedroom. Nothing big."

She laughed at that. "I'm sure it was amazing, even the drawings," she assured him.

Frost shook his head at that, deciding to sit next to her. "No, they were pretty awful. Trust me."

"All the same... I would've liked to have seen it..."

For a while they sat there in silence as the sun inched its way higher, and it seemed that Jack had forgotten that he had places to go, roads to freeze.

"Can I see you work?

Jack jumped at the question, looking over at her with confused eyes. "What?"

"Can I see you work?" she repeated, standing up eagerly. "You have to go work in Canada, right?"

Jack leapt up with her hurriedly, realizing she was right. "Man, I forgot." He started to call up a wind, lifting his feet off the ground. "Oh, right, do you need a lift?" he asked, nearly tripping on thin air as he put forth a hand for her to take.

A small smile crept onto Spire's face, and she nodded. "How exactly do you get around?" she asked.

He tried not to jump when she took the hand he offered, just as she tried not to when she realized how icy his hand was (honestly, she shouldn't have been surprised). But Jack was too occupied with the fact that there was a girl holding his hand to even register her startled gaze. He needed to practice this whole 'talking and interacting with girls' thing. He was pretty sure there wasn't supposed to be this jumbled feeling in the pit of his stomach. It most certainly wasn't there when he talked to Tooth.

Realizing he was still floating there and she was still holding his hand expectantly, he swallowed hard before managing a smile. "I'll show you."

**Well that took a painstakingly long time.**

**On another note, I saw Rise of the Guardians _again_ and this time in 3-D and with four of my friends in a theater all by ourselves late at night. (technically, the fact that it was empty besides us was sad, but it allowed us to make dirty comments on certain things and fangirl about how wonderful the movie was without worrying about bothering people) The 3-D is subtle, but whenever it snows... absolutely wonderful. (I'd probably have more to say, but my sickness started while watching that movie a second time, so it's difficult to remember this stuff)**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated.**

**Ezzy**


	7. Suggestion and Terrifying Fairies

**Look, another update. This took forever, sorry. Holidays and finals and new semester projects of doom and all that jazz. Not to mention that I hadn't seen the movie in months, and I needed a refresher course on all the characters. So... I bought and watched the movie! I am so excited guys! I own it all for my own!**

**Anyway, someone brought to my attention that my last few chapters were lacking in subtle adult humor. Oh you silly reviewer, you. I appreciate your review, but just you wait. They're starting up again. Oh, and I'm super excited because there is a joke that I'm literally taking chapters to build up to. (don't believe me? I hinted at it at least two chapters ago)**

**And my word, you all are super concerned with Spire's teeth. I mean, wow. All the dental-nuts came out of the wood work. :P But never fear, I shall address it.**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians does not belong to me.**

**The Art of Suggestion and Terrifying Fairies**

North's sleigh in its own right was magical and stylish and a ride complete with a full set of bragging rights. Bunnymund's tunnels were mind-boggling, unexpected, and a little adventure wrapped up into one endless system of underground transportation. Tooth's wings were beautiful, delicate, but surprisingly strong and capable of so many flaps per second that Spire wondered how Tooth never seemed to tire. Sandy's golden creations were equally amazing and unpredictable, fitting his mood and forming to whatever aircraft he could need to get where he was going.

However, none of those modes of transportation could compete with Jack Frost's flying.

Or at least, that's what Spire imagined she would be thinking if they were actually flying. After all, Jack Frost was the youngest and newest of the guardians, the most interwoven with the modern day world and the least believed in. His perspective was completely original, so she imagined so would be his way of travel.

Alas, after Jack had managed his very confident smile and said three _very_ confident words... well, it kind of ended there.

It had been roughly twenty seconds, and Jack was still hovering in midair, practically shaking as Spire clutched his hand from her place on the roof. He was at a loss for words and extremely embarrassed. He simply couldn't move with her holding onto his hand, and that was that. _Come on, brain. You can't turn to slush now. Work! Just a little wind, okay?_ In an attempt to concentrate, he screwed up his face to a point where Spire could believably compare it to a knot in a tree. Still nothing.

"Performance issues?" Spire asked, cracking a grin at the flustered guardian.

"W-what?" he spluttered, clearly confused. She was still holding his hand, so he, of course, was still shaking in his spot in the air. The two were totally unrelated though. He was simply shaking because he was experiencing a headache, or a brain freeze, or something similar that was making it impossible for him to call the wind like he usually did. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the alien gender was touching him. Since when were teenage girls so touchy-feely, as in literally 'let me hold onto your hand and share my deep regret about the fact that you were invisible for three-hundred-years'? He swore they weren't like that back when they _could_ see him. Back when he was human and girls didn't talk unless spoken too. Of course he wasn't complaining about the fact that they had clearly climbed the social ladder.

He just wished they'd keep their newfound confidence and weird womanly ways away from him.

Spire gave a contented sigh at his reaction and withdrew her hand. Jack stumbled in midair at the loss of contact, as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders unexpectedly. "It's not your first time, is it?" she continued, grin widening.

"F-flying? N-n-no," Jack stuttered, floating away from her while rubbing the back of his neck.

"No. I mean, with someone else?" Spire asked. Something in her expression suggested she had given up on some kind of joke while talking with Jack, making him wonder what exactly it was.

"O-oh! Well I have. I just..." He just what? Didn't feel safe touching cootie-infested skin? Because that was certainly true.

"Some other time, after you're in your zone," she offered, to which he dumbly nodded. "Still, I want to see you work. How about I follow you there?"

Jack swallowed thickly as he watched Inspiration herself walk to the edge of the house to where Sophie's room was, as if she was about to jump off. "Uh, well, I... Okay. Should I... should I go slow?" he nervously asked, and Spire giggled as if something about his question amused her.

"Go as fast as you like. I'll make it," she tried to assure him between giggles. He was beginning to think that they were having two _very_ different conversations without the other one knowing, at least from what he could tell by her very strange responses.

"You're not planning to walk there are you? That'd be pretty long... and hard," he pointed out.

Okay, so Spire was stretching the potential meaning of his words by a _lot_ when she started laughing. But the way he was wording everything was so awkward there couldn't possibly be anyway it was by accident. No one was that naive and worded things so... oddly.

But then she remembered how they had met mere minutes ago, and realized that maybe Jack was the exception.

"Of course not. We're not close enough to Canada for me to do that. Don't worry about it, okay? You go on ahead and I'll catch up," she informed him, still struggling to get all her words out correctly through her laughter.

Yup, they were definitely having two different conversations, Jack had decided. He just didn't realize how different the two conversations were. If he knew what Spire was thinking he might've gotten a clue and thought his words through more carefully.

Still, if she was so adamant about seeing _The_ Jack Frost do his magic, well... he really didn't know how to stop her... or talk to her about it. Confused and eager to leave the now very awkward roof, Jack leapt into the air, allowing the wind to firmly grip him in its transparent fingers and whisk him away.

With the frost spirit gone, Spire sat down on the edge of the roof and maneuvered herself so she could drop down, hands gripping the roof. Sophie's window was slightly open despite the cold outside, and with a gentle kick of her foot to widen the opening, Spire found she could swing and release to fall into the bedroom. One swing, two swing, three swing, let go, make it through the window, success.

Landing gently, she stood and looked around the room, smiling at the colorful pictures tacked all over the walls. They were poorly drawn by an adult's standards but extraordinarily well done by an elementary school student's, never mind the fact that Sophie was still in preschool. Spire smiled appreciatively at the artwork, running a hand lightly along the edge of each picture. Some of the poorer, older drawings were most often of fairies, but curiously enough it seemed that any fairy artwork Sophie had created in the last year portrayed a terrifying fairy holding bloody white blobs... teeth, Spire realized. What could have brought that about, she couldn't be sure.

On the bright side, there was a very picture of a sunny green meadow full of little round creatures of all sorts of colors and patterns and even... Ah. Spire paused to stare for a few extra seconds at one particular picture full of white and gray and blue. She rather liked that one. She'd put enough inspiration into the world to last for the hundreds of years that she was gone. The picture made that clear. She just couldn't decide if that gave her hope for the world's future or if it bothered her that the world didn't need her to protect inspiration.

She sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. There was so much she wanted to do and create. She especially liked creating artists. As far as Sophie was concerned, Spire believed she would make an artist of her yet.

Suddenly she heard shuffling behind her, and Spire whirled around to stare at the bed. That's right, she hadn't come to look at the art, as regrettable as it was to admit that.

"Alright Sophie, let's see if you have what I'm looking for."

**Hopefully she's not looking for droids. Sophie doesn't have those. This was so difficult to write! Bear with me guys, I'm still working out a couple kinks in my character.**

**Thanks for reading. Reviews/favs/stuff appreciated.**

**Ezzy**


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